The Takahashi "Self-Generating Motor"

Primary References:—

Infinite Energy magazine No 5-6, 1996, pp28-29, 35 and 36-37.

Japanese patent JPS2002291228 (A)

Fig 1  Sciex scooter with Takahashi Self Generating Motor

In 1994 in London, Yasunori Takahashi, Director of Research and Development at Sciex (UK) Ltd, demonstrated the first version of an electric motor scooter incorporating his permanent magnet Self Generating Motor (SGM). An article in the September 1994 issue of the British Broadcasting Company’s Top Gear magazine noted the impressive performance of the scooter. It was also demonstrated to a Senior Engineer at Nissan’s European Technical Center who remarked “If it checks out in our own tests, it has huge implications for everything which uses a motor — it could revolutionise the world.”

Chris Tinsley — investigation

In November 1995 Takahashi allowed Infinite Energy Contributing Editor, electrical engineer Chris Tinsley, an impromptu test ride of a later version of the scooter, shown in Figure 1 above.

Tinsley reported that after 25 minutes of riding under conditions which would have flattened much larger batteries (his intention was to flatten the batteries if possible) the small scooter batteries remained fully charged, as measured by his own voltmeter; the brakes were hot, and the motor was barely warm.  He was also shown a video of a Takahashi motor driving an alternator powering lamps estimated at about 120 watts, with no external energy input. Tinsley wrote an interesting report [Ref 1] and he managed to obtain some very provocative data from Takahashi’s company Sciex (UK) Ltd [Ref 2]. Some of the product literature claimed that at constant speed travelling the Self Generating Motor would deliver sufficient free energy not only to propel the scooter, but also to provide battery charging as necessary.

Fig 2  Takahashi Self Generating Motor and controller,
including dimension drawings.
Image from Infinite Energy magazine No 5-6, 1996, p37.

Fig 3  Images from patent JPS 2002291228.
Note the flat permanent magnets underneath the rotor poles,
and the stator similar to that of a switched reluctance motor.

Magnetic Power Inc. — problems

In mid 1996 the Takahashi scooter was shipped to Magnetic Power Inc., in the USA. After problems with customs clearance, it was eventually tried out, and its batteries were quickly flattened.

About a year and a half after that, the following advertisement appeared in Infinite Energy magazine:—

“For sale. Sciex scooter with Takahashi motor. Used only for test purposes. It failed to confirm his claims.  Accelerates rather well (possibly due to ultracapacitors). Otherwise standard electric scooter from Taiwan. $2,000 invested. Make offer. Magnetic Power, Inc. 707-829-9391.” [Ref 3]

Questions

As usual, there are questions begging for answers. For example:

-  What was the outcome of the tests which Nissan planned to do?

-  Where are the scooters now? (i.e. the original, and the one tested in the UK and the USA).

-  Has the motor and controller of either scooter been studied in detail by an independent competent investigator? If so, what was found?

-  What was the official reason for the difficulties with clearing the scooter through US customs? (Bearing in mind that the delay could have allowed some technical dirty trick to have been played — for example substitution of the motor, and/or damage to the controller).

-  Why was the advertisement to sell the scooter placed in Infinite Energy magazine — a very unusual forum for vehicle sales? And why did it need to underline the failure of the scooter to confirm Takahashi’s claims? (Admirable honesty in advertising, but a cynic might be forgiven for thinking that the main purpose of the advertisement was to discredit Takahashi, rather than to sell the scooter).

-  What has happened to Takahashi today? He seems to be keeping an extremely low profile. And what were/are his comments on these developments? This touches on one more question which Infinite Energy themselves asked:— [Ref 4]

-  Why would someone of Takahashi’s background [Ref 5] get involved in something like this if it were fraudulent? What would be the point?

Chris Tinsley — dead

It is certain that Chris Tinsley would not have left questions like these unanswered. But he could not pursue them, because he died suddenly on October 1, 1997. (See http://perpetualmotion21.blogspot.com/2015/08/harassment-and-premature-deaths-1989_22.html).

So we have been left, for many years, with a very unsatisfactory situation. The completely different performances of the scooter in the UK and the USA remain unexplained; the engineer best placed to look further into that died before he could do any further investigation, and the scooter motor's inventor has disappeared, at least from public view.

As seems de rigueur in such cases, claims have appeared for and against Takahashi, such as the usual unproven accusations of fraud, in the (surprisingly easily found) email exchange here.

This leads to a final question, which again I cannot answer — has any other credible investigator made any progress in following up on the Takahashi Self Generating Motor?

References

1. Infinite Energy magazine No 5-6 p28-30.
2. Infinite Energy magazine No 5-6 p35-37. Also see T. E. Bearden’s article in this issue p38-55, which contains some disinformation.
3.  Infinite Energy magazine No 17 p91.
4.  Infinite Energy magazine No 10 p57.
5. See the Curriculum Vitæ for Yasunori Takahashi in Infinite Energy magazine No 5-6 p35, which shows for example that in 1983 he resigned from his position as General Manager for Research and Development for Sony Corporation, to found his own company, Sciex (UK) Ltd. He holds many patents in advanced electrical technology. (I have already posted Takahashi's CV here).